The Business: Vince Cable takes aim at short-termism in the City

In this week's Guardian Business podcast, does the government really have a plausible plan for growth? Can Vince Cable get the City to think long-term? And how are global universities transforming higher education?

This week sees the government try to move on from the doom and gloom of last week's spending review, and try and get us to concentrate on growth. Labour MP Gregg McClymont, financial editor Nils Pratley and deputy City editor Jill Treanor join host Aditya Chakrabortty to assess the new UK growth figures, which show the economy grew faster than expected.

In his speech to the CBI, the business secretary, Vince Cable, announced what he called "a long-term focus for corporate Britain" to tackle spiralling executive pay and potentially destructive takeovers.

Will the government's "power and muscle" make it easier for new companies to flourish?

And we look at how new universities in China, India, and Saudi Arabia are competing with the likes of Harvard and Oxford for faculty staff, students, and research status. Ben Wildavsky speaks to us about his new book, The Great Brain Race - How Global Universities are Shaping the World.